The Scandal star shines on the November cover of Essence magazine, glowing in a glittery gold Rafael Cennamo Couture gown that shows off her tiny frame. Her hair is down in soft curls and her bangs appear to be wind-blown as she gives the camera a sexy stare while showing off her killer gold-tipped manicure.

Washington isn't seen wearing any jewelry for the cover shoot—including her diamond wedding ring—although it's unclear whether the cover was shot before Kerry said "I do" to San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (the twosome secretly wed in July and the magazine's cover teases Washington's "new married life").

Inside the issue, the Emmy-nominated actress opens up about what separates the star from her famous Scandal character Olivia Pope, sharing how her day-to-day style is entirely different when she's off the small screen.

"Olivia has three [fashion] modes: Work Olivia, Black-Tie Gala Olivia and At Home Olivia," Kerry explains. "My fashion is more eclectic: There's Going to Work Kerry, which is gym clothes and Nike kicks. That's the Bronx girl. There's also Red Carpet Kerry and Out to Dinner With Friends Kerry."

The World's Best Dressed Woman also reveals that she rarely drinks alcohol (no wonder she has such flawless skin!), but makes an exception for the occasional night out with her galpals.

"I drink maybe twice a year. I would be with my three best friends from high school or my girlfriends from the show," she says of her ideal girls' night out, adding that it would involve "lots of wine."

And of course, she also talks live-tweeting on the show in the accompanying behind-the-scenes video, and her face instantly lights up when she begins to chat about Scandal's passionate fanbase.

"I'm usually live-tweeting every Thursday when Scandal is on," she says. "Even at work if we're like in between takes we're running to our phones and live-tweeting a bit. Or if we see somebody's not acting, we're like 'You should be tweeting!' It's very difficult to be a director on the Scandal set on Thursdays between 7 and 8 because that's the east coast showing or 10 to 11 because we are just so focused on tweeting…I'm always with you guys."

Too cute! But while Kerry may reply to your tweet, don't hold your breath if you're hoping for the 36-year-old star to spill any Scandal secrets:

"I guess the big thing is that people don't believe me that I don't have answers," she admits. "I have no clue what's going to happen week to week. We are just as hungry for each new script as you guys are for every episode."

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